Comments

NESCO/Cary Smart Pressure Canner and Cooker – Item of the Day — 80 Comments

  1. My family has been using the Chard 9.5 qt canner for the past 8 months or so and really like it. We raise our own meat birds and often cook a whole chicken in ours in about 35 min. I’ve pressured canned chicken stock and plan to use it to can pickles this summer.

  2. I remember your mentioning something about this a while back (Dorothy was getting you one for Christmas maybe?)….glad you brought it up again. I have a large Mirro and an All American for pressure canning, but overkill in size when you have a small amount. (Honestly, I haven’t even used the AA yet). I’m certainly going to look into one of thsee.

    • These are like small batch mead making to me. Small batch mead made me love making mead again and electric canners made me love canning again. Running a full sized pressure canner in my kitchen in Sept. in Texas, um, no thank you. pish pish phis, heat heat heat, ugh, no!

    • I have used this for 6 years… no issues pressure canning…or water bath canning….
      The only fail (1x) in 6 years my hubby had been given canning jars. Well 1 was not canning… I told him not to use but he did and it was broke inside my canner. Soooo that’s it.. now once in a great while 1 jar may fail to seal.. but like traditional canning on stove top we placed in fridge and enjoyed …..
      Yes they are safe… I am purchasing another… I find my house doesn’t get as hot in summer using this… and my glass top isn’t recommended for canners… (it’s older )
      I love this .. but to be fair I haven’t tried the ball version yet…

  3. Where do I find recipes for using this? Bought one for canning small batches but it does so-o-o-o much more! The item said “Carey” brand but is from the Chard company so guessing it is the same as the model numbers match.

  4. Of course after I look all over for it on your site and finally find it and order it last night you post it today . What was your hint Jack?Lol

  5. For us off gridders who use solar and batteries, how much power does this bad boy suck? Propane isn’t renewable and wood is extra work… I can’t find specs online.

  6. I would love one of these but not in the US. Anyone know if it runs on 220-240v as well as 110v?

  7. I love mine. I make carnitas in it, then clean it out and then can the carnitas. Love it so much.

  8. I like the idea of multi-function products which leads to less clutter. What do you think of pressure cookers that also do sous vide cooking?

  9. The research I have done stated that you have to use wide mouth quart jars to can. Is that true?

    • That would make no difference to anything at all in any way shape or form.

      • Are you saying that I could use standard quart jars as well or just use wide mouth jars for my canning needs? I’m new to all this so sorry for the confusion. Thanks for the advice.

        • Yes because the only difference is the size of the hole and that doesn’t effect anything about canning.

    • That’s what I was thinking too but there were a few comments on amazon stating that you had to use wide mouth jars. Didn’t make sense to me but being new to canning I wanted to make sure. Thanks for you help!

    • Narrow mouth quart jars are a little too tall to fit in the Chard. Narrow mouth pint jars should be fine.

    • Actually some quart size regular mouth jars are taller and prevent the canner from closing. Make sure you position them away from the vent

  10. Oh… so there is truth to their comments. It’s odd that they wouldn’t design it to accommodate both types of quart jars. Thanks for the info.

  11. Yes, so wide mouth pint and quart jars are fine. Narrow mouth pint jars only (and smaller jars too of course).

    • I have a Carey. I can regular mouth quart jars in it. I haven’t had a problem.  It closes, holds pressure,  and jars seal.  You have to fit them in just right because they are sort of square shaped but 4 will fit. The wide mouth are more round and fit any which way.

      • Um the Carey and the Chard are the exact same thing. It is the PowerPressure Cooker XL that won’t fit quarts.

  12. Yes, I can meats in it more than anything else. My favorite is to make Mexican style meats like taco ground beef, spicy pork carnitas and shredded beef (similar to what you’d find at Chipotle restaurant). I make the meals in it, then clean it out and can it right in the same machine. Love it. Life changing. It’s so great to always have tasty meat at hand to effortlessly whip up an awesome Mexican meal.

  13. OK. Sorry for sounding “thick”…

    I seem to recall Jack mentioned on an TSP episode, a certain canner that was the only canner that was “approved” to do meat, or wasn’t “unapproved”, or some such. I wish I could recall the episode, I’d re-listen.

    And, unfortunately, I don’t recall who had given said approval, or brand name, or what have you. I’m drawing a blank.

    So, I’m preferring to follow the Spirko, “buy once cry once”
    motto.

    I can afford (within reason) to buy ANY canner. I just can’t afford to buy several.

    It’s been a while, and I didn’t remember if this was the one I heard mentioned above…

    My intended usage is for canning string beans, sauerkraut, venison, beef, chicken, etc.

    I certainly appreciate any info; ready to buy R.F.N. HAHA!

  14. This canner is the one Jack currently recommends. There are two things that I wish this machine would do: I wish it would have a super low temperature for making things like yogurt. I also wish the insert was stainless steel instead of Teflon.

  15. I finally bought this when it was on sale for $99 at a local store. It’s fantastic. On Saturday night I filled my jars with pear preserves, loaded them in the canner, pushed buttons, and went out to enjoy a bonfire with my family.

  16. I got the Power Pressure Cooker XL before this device was an option. I’d actually like to get this one, but I have a question. Are the buttons tactile? I’m blind, so I need to be able to feel the different buttons. They’re slightly raised on the PPCXL, so I just had to memorize which button did what. These kinds of devices mean I can can things without sighted assistance, and being able to accommodate larger jars is definitely a nice idea. I’d just hate to buy the thing only to find out that I can’t use it.

    • Sarah in IN, the buttons are raised but don’t have tactile indicators.
      The start/stop button is in the center. Below that are the three cooking options: from left to right they are slow cook, pressure cook, and brown. Just above the start/stop button are the time buttons and the screen that shows the time. The screen does not have tactile edges. On the left side of the screen is the – button for decreasing the set time, and on the right side of the screen is the + button for increasing set time. Above the screen and time buttons are the three buttons for canning. From left to right they are water bath, low pressure, and high pressure.

      All of the buttons beep when you push them, but they do not have differentiating beeps. On the lid of the appliance, everything is palpable. When the bar handle on the top is parallel to the side handle, the lid is closed. When the bar handle is at an angle from the side handles (but not perpendicular) the lid is open.

      The pressure gauge on the top of the unit has a little handle that sticks out. There is also an indented vent and a raised arrow. So, when the handle is lined up with the arrow the unit is on the pressure setting. If the handle is moved to either side it’s on exhaust. My primary concern there is that you have to make sure the pressure gauge has dropped and then rotate it to exhaust before you open the lid. If you can’t see that the gauge has dropped you would have to feel it and it would still be hot, but I think if you waited for two hours after the completion of each batch – and there is a beep to tell you it is finished – it would definitely be safe to touch.

      I hope this helps!

      • That is extremely helpful, Marissa. It sounds like it’s very similar to the Power Pressure Cooker XL. I had forgotten to ask about buttons beeping when pressed, so I’m glad you included that detail. It’s useful primarily when you’re setting the time that something cooks so you don’t have to wonder if it registered your button press. Sounds like this tool has managed a solid place on my wish list. 🙂

  17. The USDA had a statement that electric canners are not a certified method for pressure canning, as the regulation methods (temp vs pressure) are different. As such, there is no guarantee that you have held the food at the proper pressure for long enough.

    • The USDA made that statement before this canner and the other one I say is okay for pressure canning WERE EVER MADE. There is NO DIFFERENCE IN HOW THEY ACTUALLY WORK, pressure is pressure and temperature is temperature.

      It amazes me that people think a government statement is a guarantee of anything!

      Frankly due to how this canner works there is a LOWER PROBABILITY of error than an old school canner.

  18. Today I used my new Carey Smart Canner for the first time to can beef cubes. I am not new to canning, and have used old Mirro weight gauge canners and have a number of different size All American canners, too. I decided to try this one so I don’t have to lift and clean a big canner and this one doesn’t need to be watched and adjusted so often. Some pressure canners with a weight gauge hiss intermittently to regulate pressure. Sometimes the gauge needs to be tapped before it stops hissing and starts to build up pressure because the gauge isn’t centered well. So here’s my question: The Carey canner hissed throughout the entire process, leaving me to wonder if the pressure was actually being maintained, or if the weight/petcock might not be in the correct position? After letting the jars sit in the canner to cool for an hour after it turned off, I removed the jars, and just as they would in a regular stove top canner, they continued to bubble and boil still a half hour later, so it seems like it was hot enough as usual. Is the continuous hissing normal or should it be quiet with intermittent steam being released? Thanks!

    • If they cycle started and completed you are good. The petcock on these does not rock on these. I should do a video on it I guess.

  19. Yes, it started after the E10 to E0 countdown – then it counted down the 76 minutes I programmed in for pints after I turned the vent to the airtight setting. Thanks for your help!

  20. Looks like the price has gone up considerably, it’s now $180.01 and it’s not listed on Chard’s website. Maybe it’ll go on sale in the next month…

  21. I thought that would be a third party seller, gouging the buyer. Nope. That’s Amazon’s price. Maybe they are being discontinued, so Amazon wants to maximize profits on their leftover stock. The fact that they’re no longer on Chard’s website makes me think they are going to stop selling them. Hopefully they are just selling it off to another company, who will continue making them. I really wish Instant Pot would make a unit which would do canning – I really like the fact that they have a stainless steel pot instead of Teflon.

  22. Anybody care to contrast this against an InstaPot? I know that won’t do canning, but it also offers other features I don’t believe the Chard does. Using it as a regular slow cooker or  yogurt for example.

    • The chard would do any of that the only one I would question is yogurt, not sure it can be set that low but man yogurt is so easy in my dehydrator I never even considered another option.

  23. Has anyone seen a stainless steel replacement pot for this model?

    (Have one for my Power Pressure Cooker XL)

    • I have not but I really like the non stick liner.  Throw it in the dishwasher and it comes out spotless.  Had mine a year and a half now, no chipping, scratches, etc.  I just use wooden or Teflon when scooping, browning, etc.

      • Is the Teflon still good on yours? Mine is slight scratched. Its a few years old now. Ive had to use a blue scratch pad to clean so I am not sure if that caused it. The blue are supposed nonstick friendly.

        • Mine is like the day I bought it.  I never use anything abrasive on it though.  Never had to.

  24. I’m very intrigued by the idea of making a large batch of a stew or other main dish, as Charles describes doing with carnitas, and canning the leftovers.  However I can’t imagine the meat not turning to mush after regular cooking, plus the amount of time it has to spend in the canner, PLUS the 10 minutes of boiling that I read you need to do before eating home-canned foods, to be safe (does anyone actually do this?).  So, how is the taste and texture after being canned?  Is it anything close to as good as before canning?

  25. Susan-

    You are probably right.  When I make stew,  I put all the ingredients in raw and then pressure can it.  When I make Mexican meats though, I do cook them in the pressure cooker first, and then can them in the pressure canner.  They don’t get ruined because there’s really nothing in the meat to get mushy.  Just gets more tender I suppose – not a bad thing.

     

    • Thanks.  I’ve been freezing leftovers from big batches of carnitas, pulled pork, carne deshebrada, etc, but it would be nice to have some canned as a backup.  I’m still a little reluctant to spend money for another gadget, but since it can also be used as a pressure cooker … 🙂

      (Had to increase magnification of web page to 170% to get the Reply button to come out from behind the avatar thingie)

  26. I recently bought an Instant Pot for my daily cooking but use the Carey for my canning. I really like that the Instant Pot has a stainless steel pot that doesn’t leak out Teflon. If either my instant pot or my Carey pressure canner fell on the floor and broke, I would replace them since they are both valuable tools in my kitchen.

  27. I’m a complete novice at canning. The lack of recipes for this canner frustrates me. Clear instructions about how to use Instant Pot recipes in it would help so much. Also, a recipe forum thread would help a lot, too.

    • Why do people think you need a recipe to a specific canner? Canning is canning, 12lbs of pressure is 12lbs of pressure creating the same 240 degree steam. If you are at high altitude you switch to the 15 pound pet cock and get the same pressure.

      So if you want to can beef, you look at the time to do so in ANY published recipe and use that time and set of procedures. That is all there is nothing more. So you can take any and all pressure canning, pressure cooking or slow cooking recipe and use it with the Chard/Cary canner. Just make sure if you are canning the recipe is from a reliable source.

      When it comes to cooking it is all the same, you are slow cooking on high, low, etc. If it is pressure cooking same thing.

      I love the idea of a canning/pressure cooking/ slow cooking forum thread, start one, send me the link and I will mention it on air. But don’t think you need some sort of recipe conversion formula. If it says hot pack and can for 45 minutes, just do that.

  28. I love this canner. I got this when you first talked about it a while back on the show. I LOVE it, I used to can on the stove with grandmas alum Presto, but this is SO much easier. Not watching or guessing.

    For the buck, well worth it, I may be small time but love this tech, 30+ loads and still chugging along. Small garden and only a few harvests.

    To those wondering “whats wrong with my canner”… E-10 means environment 10lbs, its not an error message, your good to go.

     

  29. Is it normal when pressure canning for steam to continually vent from the pressure valve when it is in the seal position? If not what could be the cause of this? I’m concerned that it doesn’t get to the right temp and psi

    • Yes it is a slow release not a “chit, chit, chit” like the old school ones. You don’t have to worry the program won’t start if it fails. There is a safety valve in the back, it lets the system purge air before the steam does its thing. It is just behind the petcock. When it first starts it is likely still down and letting some steam out, soon after it will pop up and the steam will only come from the petcock. If that is what is happening you are solid. Again if anything fails the unit will shut down and show an error code.

  30. Jack, Love the Chard Smart Pressure Canner, a great recommendation.  The small batch canning is a great husband/wife activity. We will can: pork vegetable soups, chicken vegetable soup, beef vegetable soup,  pumpkin soup, meats or water bath can.  It is great to have a delicious and nutritious meal made and ready to eat in minuets. Also having one pieces of equipment that does so many food preparation techniques is a great saving of space.

  31. I don’t own a pressure canner or large slow cooker but need both. Is this ideal for slow cooking. Also can this be used to pressure cook squirrels. I’ve got 6 in freezer but have never cooked squirrel. I’ve had several people tell me that pressure cooking squirrels will make the meat fall off the bone. I’m looking to make squirrel and gravy over rice.

    • Yes the slow cooker setting is amazing. You may find you seldom use it though. A few weeks ago I was going to make stew with the slow cook setting and then realized, well, my I could be eating my stew in about 40 minutes if I use the pressure cook setting and well, guess what I did.

  32. I purchased this last year and love, love, love it!  I want to move on to using more of the features, specifically the slow cooking.  Do you know if the slow cooking feature is considered low or high?  It would be great to replace my old slow cookers for once appliance, but I haven’t found information about the temperature range for slow cooking.  Thanks in advance for any knowledge you can share.  🙂

  33. Hi, I am totally new to canning and pressure cooking. I see on recipes for pressure cooking it says pressure cook on high for however many minutes. On the Carey Smart Canner, do I just use the pressure cook button or should I be using the High button that is used for high pressure canning?

  34. Mine has gone totally crazy.  It goes on full heat mode no matter what the setting.  We use to brown a chicken in it then run the pressure cook setting.  I haven’t contacted the company yet, but from comments on Amazon, they will not stand by the product outside the warranty period.  It is blowing pressure from the pressure relief weight the entire time the pressure cooker is in operation.  Not just a little here and there.  I’m talking a heavy, steady stream of steam being released.  Yes. it is in the “air tight” mode.  We haven’t even used it that much but we won’t even run it indoors anymore due to the amount of steam and pressure it is building up.

    • mine is doing the same thing.. a heavy steady stream of steam. first time I have used it and wondering if it is something I am doing. I canned 95 min at high for hamburger… right or wrong?

       

      • I can’t speak for what Cooper is saying but if the canning cycle starts you are good.  As to steady stream of steam, what exactly do you mean.

        First the petcock will let steam out but you have to close it.  If you don’t close it you are not going to build pressure.

        Next there is a small pressure valve as well, that will release steam for a time, this is to automatically purge the canner before canning begins.  It should close on its own after a few minutes of releasing steam.

        If you can be more clear about your issue I can try to be of more help.

  35. Does anyone know where I can find replacement silicon gaskets for this model? I’d like to buy some backup parts while this canner is still popular and available. Couldn’t find any online.

  36. I called the company at the number listed on the back of the Use and Care booklet and ordered an extra gasket through the company.  I hope the following number works for you, as I think the company has changed hands since I bought my canner.  1-888-815-4252

    I love my canner but have not used it for anything but canning.  I have recently been “jamming” and have around 35 jars of jam.  I canned them using the LOW pressure canning setting and set the timer for the number of minutes that is listed for water bath.  Seems to be fine.  I do greatly recommend you try the Ja Makin Me Crazy Mango Jam from the Bowl Me Over blog.  It is absolutely wonderful.

  37. Can someone tell me which pressure limiting valve to use for a recipe that calls for 11psi? I don’t know if I should move up to the green 15psi valve just to be safe. I love using this canner though, and the standard black 10psi valve works for most things I can.

  38. Couldn’t find this item on the Chart website, wonder if it is discontinued.. The link in your article doesn’t work anymore.

  39. Thank you for your answer.I had the same question.Manufactures won’t answer[cya perhaps] and many people who can, either don’t know or won’t share.I have loads of canner recipes for 11 pounds as well.Modern stovetop pressure canners use 11 pounds.I refused to move forward with conversion, until I had the answer to this question.

  40. Hey Jack, in your description you state

    It also does a separate water bath or steam function for water bath canning

    The steam function is great to steam veggies… If i want a quick dinner I’ll throw a layer of potatoes, carrots and broccoli on top and steam it for about 10-12 minutes and it’s done!

  41. I’ve had this product for over a year now, and still love it.  The benefit of starting a canning cycle and not having to worry about it anymore cannot be overstated.  It’s a life changer.  Canning goes from a big all-day event to a frequent weeknight activity.

  42. I’m looking for a good guide/cookbook to use with my canner. Recipes and instructions, please!!  Is there such a book anywhere!?!

  43. Just an FYI, I think this is now under the Nesco brand. It looks identical, but it is branded Nesco.

  44. I guess they raised the price already. Its showing $118 and can be shipped next week. Oh well. Next time.

  45. What is the part number for the pressure sealing gasket that fits this unit? Chard/Carey/Nesco DPC-9SS – NPC-9

    I want a replacement gasket and can’t find the exact size that fits this model. Have tried, but no luck so far.

    Thanks for any help…….

  46. I’m so glad the comments are left up for those new to canning. The Winter 2021 (Issue #23) of Self Reliance magazine has an Ask Jackie section where she says she is not a fan of electric canners as they have not been thoroughly tested. But seeing the responses above of those who have safely canned with the electric canner for years is reassuring.

    • I love Jackie but like many older folks they become stuck in a reality of their own creation and what is new must be bad. It is a total nonsense argument. Its also based on claims by the National Canning Association or what ever the hell they call themselves that are so old they pre date anything sold as an electric canner.

      If this was dangerous I’d be dead. 15PSI is 15PSI, end of story.